{"id":15258,"date":"2022-08-29T12:46:04","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T12:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/seos-cant-ignore-ux\/458058\/"},"modified":"2022-08-29T12:46:04","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T12:46:04","slug":"seos-you-cant-afford-to-ignore-ux-via-sejournal-brianfr07823616","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/?p=15258","title":{"rendered":"SEOs \u2013 You Can\u2019t Afford To Ignore UX via @sejournal, @BrianFr07823616"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sometimes search engine optimizers get so caught up in the job\u2019s minutiae that they forget any website\u2019s main purpose.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not to game an algorithm to rank higher on a search results page \u2013 it\u2019s to provide information to real, live humans.<\/p>\n

And that comes down to creating quality experiences.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s simple logic: If a visitor is confused or frustrated by your site, they\u2019ll navigate away before they can take action \u2013 which could include making a purchase, filling out a form, or even reading an article.<\/p>\n

For that reason alone, UX should be important to search optimizers.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s more to it than that.<\/p>\n

The quality user experience is factored into your ranking.<\/p>\n

Read on to learn how.<\/p>\n

What Exactly Are SEO And UX?<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re reading this, you probably already know a little about search engine optimization (SEO).<\/p>\n

In the simplest terms, it\u2019s the process of ranking a webpage higher in SERPs (search engine results pages) for relevant queries, thus increasing traffic.<\/p>\n

It focuses solely on unpaid or organic traffic rather than paid ad placement.<\/p>\n

The other important term you may not be as familiar with is user experience (UX), which refers to a person\u2019s experience when using your website.<\/p>\n

Is it easy to use or confusing?<\/p>\n

Is it aesthetically pleasing or visually messy?<\/p>\n

Is it efficient or clunky and slow?<\/p>\n

Does it easily provide the information people want, or do they have to dig for it?<\/p>\n

The answers to these, and similar questions, determine whether you have good or bad UX.<\/p>\n

But what does UX have to do with SEO? As an SEO professional, is it something you need to consider?<\/p>\n

Yes: SEO and UX are functions of one another and inexorably intertwined.<\/p>\n

You could even make the case that every fulfilled search is UX at work, where expectations about results interact with reality.<\/p>\n

To do SEO well, you also need to adopt a UX mindset.<\/p>\n

How Does UX Impact SEO?<\/h2>\n

At its most basic level, Google is attempting to do just one thing: Provide searchers with the best possible answer for their query.<\/p>\n

To do this, the search engine giant is always tinkering, seeking to create a smarter, more accurate algorithm that better understands user intent, context, and countless other signals to improve search results.<\/p>\n

Several algorithm updates, including Panda<\/a> in 2011, Penguin<\/a> in 2012, Hummingbird<\/a> in 2013, and RankBrain<\/a> in 2015, included increasingly complex means of evaluating a page\u2019s value and user experience.<\/p>\n

This experience score is then factored in alongside other, more \u201ctraditional\u201d SEO elements like backlinks and keywords to determine overall ranking.<\/p>\n

Once more for the people in the back: UX scores are factored into overall SEO rankings.<\/p>\n

Google is increasingly user-focused and uses machine learning, natural language processing, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies to determine which web pages provide the best responses to a search.<\/p>\n

And all of those are part of UX.<\/p>\n

What UX Factors Does Google Care About Most?<\/h2>\n

Okay, so we\u2019ve established that they\u2019re connected.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s get to where UX and SEO overlap \u2013 and how these impact your SERP positioning.<\/p>\n

Page Experience<\/h3>\n

In May 2020, Google released Core Web Vitals<\/a> to help site owners measure their page experience.<\/p>\n

Undoubtedly something that will continue to evolve, it included three focal points with corresponding metrics:<\/p>\n